Numerically-Intensive "Plug-and-Play" Parallel Computing

At UCLA's Plasma Physics Group, we have been successful in building and using a numerically-intensive parallel computing cluster using Power Macintosh hardware and the Macintosh Operating System. Our solution makes the problem of building and operating a parallel computer far easier than using other technologies, allowing the user, without expertise in the operating system, to efficiently develop and run parallel code. That advantage enables the user to most effectively advance scientific research. At the same time, by achieving over 20 Gigaflops on 16 400-MHz G4s, our team has proved the computational potential of the underlying PowerPC hardware. The ongoing widespread deployment of OS X, a Unix-based Mac OS, will provide scientists access to the best tools of the Mac and Unix in one computing solution. In the midst of this development, clustering Macs is poised to become a technology that will move parallel computing into the mainstream. For details: http://exodus.physics.ucla.edu/appleseed/